Yesterday (Friday), the two-day visit of the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark A. Milley was concluded. This was the General's third visit to Israel in his current position.
Over the course of his visit, he met with the Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, and participated in several military events, all with the goal of strengthening the partnership and the cooperation between the US and Israeli militaries.
The General participated in a panel led by the Chief of the General Staff alongside the US Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché, Brig. Gen. Charles E. Brown Jr.; the Israeli Defense Attaché in Washington, Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox; and the Commanding Officer of the IDF International Cooperation Unit, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin.
As part of the panel, the Head of the Strategy and Third Tier Directorate, Maj. Gen. Tal Kelman, briefed the General on strategic and cooperation matters. The Head of the IDF Intelligence Directorate, Maj. Gen. Tamir Hayman, provided an intelligence briefing.
Also discussed during the panel were regional challenges, threats and opportunities in different theaters, as well as various matters related to force design.
At the end of the panel, General Milley participated in a Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony, celebrating the eighth and final night of the holiday. Also in (virtual) attendance was US Staff Sergeant Jarelle Turner, one of the Multinational Force & Observers (MFO) peacekeepers who survived a deadly helicopter crash in November; along with his family.
The ceremony was also attended by the elite search and rescue soldiers from IAF Unit 669, who assisted in evacuating Sergeant Turner to an Israeli hospital for medical treatment.
During the candle lighting, the Chief of the IDF General Staff expressed his appreciation and gratitude to General Milley and his commitment to promoting regional cooperation.
During the final leg of his trip, General Milley was given a tour of the Palmachim Airbase, located south of Tel Aviv, during which he was shown the Ground Force’s Multi-Domain Strike Division, an elite and innovative combat unit with the goal of promoting offensive capacities across all arenas, utilizing the capabilities of the Ground and Air Forces, the Intelligence Directorate, and the J6 & Cyber Defense Directorate.
As part of the tour, a presentation was given which demonstrated the operational combat techniques and advanced technological capabilities that are deployed by the unit. The unit is a model for future changes in all IDF operational units.
In addition, the Head of the Planning and Joint Services Force Development Directorate, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, reviewed the main points of the “Momentum” multi-year program, and the groundbreaking force-design programs that the IDF is leading in the face of the challenges in various arenas.